1. Field
Some example embodiments may relate generally to supporting modules. Some example embodiments may relate generally to motion assistance apparatuses including the same.
2. Description of Related Art
With the onset of rapidly aging societies, a number of people may experience inconvenience and/or agony from joint problems, and interest in motion assistance apparatuses that may enable the elderly or patients with joint problems to walk with less effort is growing. In addition, motion assistance apparatuses that may increase muscular strength of human bodies may be in development for military purposes.
In general, motion assistance apparatuses for assisting motion of lower parts of bodies may include body frames disposed on trunks of users, pelvic frames coupled to lower sides of the body frames to cover pelvises of the users, femoral frames disposed on thighs of the users, sural frames disposed on calves of the users, and/or pedial frames disposed on feet of the users. The pelvic frames and femoral frames may be connected rotatably by hip joint portions, the femoral frames and sural frames may be connected rotatably by knee joint portions, and/or the sural frames and pedial frames may be connected rotatably by ankle joint portions.
The motion assistance apparatuses may include active joint structures including hydraulic systems and/or driving motors to drive each joint portion to improve muscular strength of legs of the users. For example, motors to transmit driving power may be attached to the hip joint portions and/or knee joint portions, respectively.
The users may wear the motion assistance apparatuses over the users' clothing.
In general, supporting modules and motion assistance apparatuses may include lower extremity muscular strength assistance robots for behavior of lower extremities. These supporting modules and motion assistance apparatuses may serve to assist force of wearer's legs to assist walking using human-robot synchronization.
Such supporting modules and motion assistance apparatuses may be driven so as to sense a wearer's intention to walk and to assist corresponding muscular strength. Here, sensing of the wearer's intention to walk may mean sensing of a wearer's intention to start walk or to finish walk, or mean sensing of moving states of the left foot and the right foot.
Although some example embodiments will be described with relation to supporting modules and motion assistance apparatuses for humans, those skilled in the art will appreciate that some example embodiments may be applied to other types of modules, apparatuses, and systems, such as supporting modules and motion assistance apparatuses for animals, or more general purpose systems.